Margaret Newton
Margaret Newton | |
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Elvin C. Stakman |
Margaret Brown Newton FRSC (20 April 1887 – 6 April 1971) was a Canadian plant pathologist and mycologist internationally renowned[1] for her pioneering research in stem rust Puccinia graminis, particularly for its effect on the staple Canadian agricultural product wheat.
Newton never married, and was regarded as a friendly and persistent individual with drive and a warm personality.[2] She often "worked to the point of exhaustion".[3]
Early life
Newton was born in Montreal on 20 April 1887 to John Newton and Elizabeth Brown. She had four younger siblings, three brothers named Robert, John, and William, and a sister named Dorothy.[4] Her father was a chemist interested in the application of science to farming.[1]
Her formal education began in a one-room schoolhouse at North Nation Mills,
She then taught in Lachine for three years, and at the North Nation Mills schoolhouse for one year.[4] The money she saved was used to finance her post-secondary education.[1]
Passionate about art,
Her advisor W.P. Fraser travelled to Western Canada in 1917 so he could begin researching stem rust from a devastating epidemic in 1916[7] that had destroyed 100 million bushels of wheat[8] worth about $200 million. He assigned Newton to study the samples he collected, who accepted only after the school's dean eliminated restrictions on women using laboratory facilities at night;[7] she still had to contend with the 22:00 curfew of her residence.[2] During her research, she discovered that stem rust spores infected wheat with different rapaciousness.[2]
Newton and her friend Pearl Clayton Stanford graduated in 1918 with a
Research
In 1920, as a result of her research into grain rusts while completing her undergraduate and master's degrees at Macdonald College, she was offered a research position at the
In 1925, she was invited by
She published 45 scientific papers on stem rust fungi and 11 research summaries.
The research attracted global attention, particularly from scientists in grain-growing nations dealing with productivity losses from stem rust.[16] She was by this time internationally regarded as an authority on plant rusts,[11] and represented Canada at scientific conventions in the United States, Europe, and Russia.[14] Her research was economically significant, as it was used to develop rust-resistant wheat cultivars and resulted in a "reduction of annual losses of wheat due to rust from 30 million bushels to practically none".[5] Wheat rust is no longer a significant problem in Canada.[17]
In 1933 the
Retirement
Her continued exposure to stem rust spores exacerbated a respiratory ailment, which would lead to an early retirement in 1945[5] and a move to Victoria.[7] Farmers petitioned on her behalf for the Government of Canada to grant her a full pension, as she had "saved the country millions of dollars".[3]
In retirement, she continued to share her expertise, travelling to Russia and Africa to assist in rust mitigation programs,
She became active in women's groups and tended a garden at her home,[2] and had active hobbies including birdwatching and canoeing.[18]
Newton died in Victoria on 6 April 1971.
Legacy and awards
Newton earned many awards and honours throughout her life. In 1942, she became the second woman to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) after Alice Wilson.[19][3] She was awarded the Flavelle Medal from the Royal Society of Canada in 1948,[9] the first person to graduate from an agricultural college to receive the award, and the only woman to have earned that distinction.
In 1956, the University of Minnesota gave her an Outstanding Achievement Award, presented by her Ph.D. advisor Elvin Stakman,
On 1997 September 22, she was registered in the Persons of National Historic Significance, a register of people designated by the Government of Canada as being nationally significant in the history of the country.[16] A plaque was installed at the Fort Garry campus of the University of Manitoba to recognize this honour.[14][16] Newton was inducted to the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame[21] in 1991. On 17 July 2008, she was inducted into the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame, and a plaque in her honour was erected in Portage la Prairie[19] and officially revealed in a ceremony attended by her relatives and "representatives from grain research centres".[7]
Newton's research is depicted in the poster gallery created by Ingenium Canada's The Women in STEM initiative. This poster gallery is a collaborative effort between the three Ingenium museums: Canada Agriculture and Food, Canada Aviation and Space, and Canada Science and Technology and their partners to support the engagement, advancement and furtherance of women in STEM.[22]
Newton is recognized as a Women of Impact in Canada for her scientific contributions as a woman in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). This online gallery was created by the Canadian Government (Women and Gender and Equity Canada) to promote women's achievements and features profiles of courageous women who have made an impact in politics, the arts and sciences, and countless other fields.[23]
Works
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur; Brown, Archibald M. (1930). "A preliminary study on the hybridization of physiologic forms of Puccinia graminis tritici". Scientific Agriculture. 10 (11): 721–731.
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur; Brown, Archibald M. (1930). "A study of the inheritance of spore colour and pathogenicity in crosses between physiologic forms of Puccinia graminis tritici". Scientific Agriculture. 10 (12): 775–798.
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1934). "Studies on the nature of disease resistance in cereals: i. the reactions to rust of mature and immature tissues". Canadian Journal of Research. 11 (5): 564–581. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1936). "Stripe rust, Puccinia glucarum, in Canada". Canadian Journal of Research. 14c (2): 89–108. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1937). "The effect of high temperatures on uredial development in cereal rusts". Canadian Journal of Research. 15c (9): 425–432. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1938). "The origin of abnormal rust characteristics through the inbreeding of physiologic races of Puccinia graminis tritici". Canadian Journal of Research. 16c (1): 38–52. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1939). "A mutation for pathogenicity in puccinia graminis tritici". Canadian Journal of Research. 17c (9): 297–299. .
- Newton, Margaret; Peturson, Bjorn (1939). "The effect of leaf rust on the yield and quality of thatcher and renown wheat in 1938". Canadian Journal of Research. 17c (11): 380–387. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1940). "Crossing and selfing studies with physiologic races of oat stem rust". Canadian Journal of Research. 18c (2): 54–67. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1940). "The influence of light and certain other environmental factors on the mature-plant resistance of hope wheat to stem rust". Canadian Journal of Research. 18c (8): 357–371. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur; Peturnson, B. (1940). "Seedling reactions of wheat varieties to stem rust and leaf rust and of oat varieties to stem rust and crown rust". Canadian Journal of Research. 18c (10): 489–506. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1940). "Mendelian inheritance of certain pathogenic characters of Puccinia graminis tritici". Canadian Journal of Research. 18c (12): 599–611. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1941). "Environmental reaction of physiologic races of puccinia triticina and their distribution in Canada". Canadian Journal of Research. 19c (4): 121–133. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1941). "The effect of high temperature on the stem rust resistance of wheat varieties". Canadian Journal of Research. 19c (11): 438–445. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1943). "Adult plant resistance in wheat to physiologic races of Puccinia triticina erikss". Canadian Journal of Research. 21c (1): 10–17. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1943). "The inheritance of a mutant character in puccinia graminis tritici". Canadian Journal of Research. 21c (7): 205–210. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1944). "Physiologic specialization of oat stem rust in Canada". Canadian Journal of Research. 22c (5): 201–216. .
- Newton, Margaret; Peturson, Bjorn; Whiteside, A.G.O (1945). "The effect of leaf rust on the yield and quality of wheat". Canadian Journal of Research. 23c (4): 105–114. .
- Newton, Margaret; Peturson, Bjorn; Meredith, W.O.S. (1945). "The effect of leaf rust of barley on the yield and quality of barley varieties". Canadian Journal of Research. 23c (6): 212–218. .
- Newton, Margaret; Johnson, Thorvaldur (1946). "Physiologic races of puccinia graminis tritici in canada, 1919 to 1944". Canadian Journal of Research. 24c (2): 26–38. .
- Johnson, Thorvaldur; Newton, Margaret (June 1946). "Specialization, hybridization, and mutation in the cereal rusts". The Botanical Review. 12 (6): 337–392. S2CID 30757774.
- Newton, Margaret; Cherewick, W.J. (1947). "Erysiphe graminis in Canada". Canadian Journal of Research. 25c (2): 73–94. .
- Newton, Margaret; Peturson, Bjorn; Whiteside, A.G.O (1948). "Further studies on the effect of leaf rust on the yield, grade, and quality of wheat". Canadian Journal of Research. 26c (1): 65–70. .
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c Forster 2004, p. 197.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Dale-Burnett & Mlazagar 2006, p. 135.
- ^ a b c d Forster 2004, p. 198.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Kolmer 2005.
- ^ a b c d e f g Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ a b c Canadian Phytopathological Society 2004, p. 18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Arnason 2008.
- ^ University of Saskatchewan Library.
- ^ a b c d e f g Royal Society of Canada.
- ^ McCallum 2006, p. S5.
- ^ a b Parks Canada: Backgrounders.
- ^ a b c Canadian Phytopathological Society 2008, p. 66.
- ^ a b c d University of Saskatchewan Archives 1969.
- ^ a b c Manitoba Historical Society.
- ^ a b Canadian Phytopathological Society 2008, p. 67.
- ^ a b c d Parks Canada: National Historic Person 2008.
- ^ Dale-Burnett & Mlazagar 2006, p. 136.
- ^ a b Beagle Ristaino 2008, p. 258.
- ^ a b Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame.
- ^ University of Victoria Art Collections.
- ^ Canada Science and Technology Museum.
- ^ "Women in STEM". June 15, 2022.
- ^ "Women of Impact in Canada". June 15, 2022.
References
- Arnason, Robert (2008-08-14). "Rust scientist remembered for pioneering work". The Western Producer. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
- Dale-Burnett, Lisa Lynne; Mlazagar, Brian, eds. (2006). Saskatchewan Agriculture: Lives Past and Present. Trade Books Based in Scholarship. Vol. 17. Canadian Plains Research Center. ISBN 978-0889771697.
- Forster, Merna (2004). 100 Canadian Heroines: Famous And Forgotten Faces. Vol. 1. Dundurn. )
- Kolmer, James A. (2005). "Margaret Newton: Pioneering Cereal Rust Researcher". Apsnet Feature Articles. doi:10.1094/APSnetFeature-2005-0305. Archived from the originalon 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
- McCallum, Brent (2006). "Margaret Newton (1887–1971)". Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology. 28 (Supplement 1): S5. S2CID 87371430.
- Beagle Ristaino, Jean, ed. (2008). Pioneering Women in Plant Pathology. APS Press. ISBN 978-0890543597.
- "The Hall". Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame. Canada Science and Technology Museum. Archived from the original on 2014-11-09. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
- "Margaret Newton" (PDF). CPS News. 48 (1). March 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-10.
- "Induction of Margaret Newton, Ph.D., into the Manitoba Agricultural Society Hall of Fame" (PDF). CPS News. 52 (4). December 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-10.
- "Margaret Newton (Ph.D)". Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2009-06-23. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
- "Margaret Newton Monument (University of Manitoba)". Historic Sites of Manitoba. The Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
- "Margaret Newton, (1887-1971)". Backgrounders. Parks Canada. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
- "Newton, Margaret National Historic Person". Parks Canada. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
- "1948 - Margaret Newton, FRSC". Flavelle Medal Award. Royal Society of Canada. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13.
- "Margaret Newton (1887-1971), Plant pathologist". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 2019-11-26. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
- "Margaret Newton, M.S.A., Ph.D." Honorary degree recipients. University of Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on 2005-09-13. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
- "Agriculture: Margaret Newton". Herstory: An Exhibition. University of Saskatchewan Library. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
- "Craigdarroch Residences (1964 and 1967)". University of Victoria Art Collections. Retrieved 2013-01-30.
External links
- Margaret Newton at the Canada Science and Technology Museum
- Margaret Newton fonds at MemoryBC
- Papers authored by Margaret Newton at NRC Research Press